Feast Day of St. Nicholas
December 6 is the feast day of St. Nicholas, a fourth-century bishop from Myra, in what is now Turkey; he’s the patron saint of children and sailors, renowned for his generosity. In many parts of the world, on the evening of December 5th, children put their shoes just outside their houses’ front doors — and during the night, it is said, St. Nicholas fills the shoes with presents such as sweets, chocolate coins, fruit, and nuts, to be enjoyed the next day. The figure of Santa Claus developed out of the tradition of St. Nicholas — and the custom of hanging stockings near the hearth may be a cozy homage to the placement of shoes outside.
From Salt Project
Photo by Earl Wilcox on Unsplash